LCD PC display market set to grow in 1999

Technology finally taking off

A market research company said today that sales of flat screen desktop LCD displays will experience strong growth during 1999. Bob Raikes, director of research at UK company Meko, was responding to reports that Sharp would manufacture 50,000 14-inch or greater LCDs per month during this year. Raikes said: "For a long time, this was a phoney market. There were lots of products available but few sales. Last year, the market started to be real, particularly in the US, largely due to the prices coming down." He said sales in 1999 will far exceed last year's figures. "This year, things should really take off by a factor of three or four times," he said. But the CRT (cathode ray tube) market is still healthy, said Raikes. "This market is still growing and there's been a big shift to 17-inch displays because of prices," he said. ®